A “data center” is a facility that is used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications equipment and memory storage systems. Data centers are used to, among other things, run the computer-based applications that handle the core business and operational data of one or more organizations. Typically, these applications are run on microcomputers that are typically referred to as servers and, in some instances, on mainframe computers.
Large data center operations may host thousands or even tens of thousands of servers. In many instances, data centers may be configured to provide double or even triple redundancy with respect to power feeds, backup power supplies, communications lines, memory storage and processing, and may have automated back-up capabilities. Data centers may also have layered network security elements including, for example, firewalls, VPN gateways, intrusion detection systems and the like. Data centers also may include monitoring systems that monitor the networked computer equipment and/or the applications running on the servers.
The expansion of the Internet has led to a growing need for large data center operations. Businesses making sales and/or providing services over the Internet typically require high-speed Internet connectivity, tight information security and non-stop operation. Major Internet-based companies such as large online retailers, Internet portals and search engine companies run large “Internet data centers” that host the thousands of servers and the other computer equipment necessary to provide large numbers of users simultaneous, secure, high-speed, fail-safe access to their web sites. Many small to medium-sized businesses may not have the resources and/or sophistication required to install and maintain the equipment necessary to provide such Internet-based access to their servers. Such businesses may also find it difficult to provide and maintain the highly trained, 24-hour a day staff that are typically necessary to repair or replace defective equipment (e.g., servers, cables, patch cords, computer cards, etc.), add new equipment, update outdated equipment and otherwise run a data center. Thus, to fill this market need, computer equipment makers and others are building and maintaining Internet data centers and then, for a fee, providing data center operations for a large number of businesses.
A data center may occupy one or more rooms or floors of a building, an entire building and/or a multi-building complex. The computer equipment housed in a data center may include, for example, servers, mainframe computers and memory storage devices and backup devices. Data centers also include routers, switches and patching systems that transport traffic between the servers, memory storage devices and the outside world. The computer equipment is often mounted on industry standardized equipment racks which are usually arranged in rows with corridors between them that allow access to the front and rear of each device. Elevated floors may be provided that are constructed of, for example large removable tiles. Cable trays may be installed overhead (including in the ceiling) and/or under the elevated floor. Cables and patch cords (a patch cord is a cable that has a connector on at least one end thereof) that are used to interconnect the equipment in the data center may be run through these cable trays.
In most data center operations, the communications lines used to interconnect the servers, memory storage devices, routers and other computer equipment to each other and to external communication lines are typically run through sophisticated patching systems that may simplify later connectivity changes. FIGS. 1A-1B together are a simplified schematic diagram of the scheme that might be used in a data center to interconnect one particular server (e.g., server 10 in FIG. 1A) to one particular memory storage device (e.g., memory storage device 95 in FIG. 1B).
As shown in FIG. 1A, the rack-mounted server 10 is connected by a cable 15 to a rack-mounted patch panel 20. In the example shown in FIG. 1A, cable 15 is a patch cord, meaning that the cable 15 includes copper conductors and that each end of the cable 15 is terminated with a plug connector. Typically (but not always), the patch panel 20 will be located in the general vicinity of the server 10 so that the cable 15 may be implemented as a relatively short length patch cord. In FIG. 1A, cable 15 is plugged into one of the connector ports (connector port 25) on patch panel 20.
As is also shown in FIG. 1A, a “backbone” cable 30 is connected to the back end of connector port 25. Backbone cable 30 is typically routed through the floor and/or ceiling of the data center, and may run for large distances (particularly in data centers that occupy one or more buildings). A second rack-mounted patch panel 35 is also provided. As shown in FIG. 1A, the backbone cable 30 connects the back end of connector port 25 on patch panel 20 to the back end of a connector port 40 on the second patch panel 35. A third rack-mounted patch panel 45 is also provided. A patch cord 55 connects the front end of connector port 40 on patch panel 35 to the front end of a connector port 50 on patch panel 45. A cable 60 is connected to the back end of connector port 50 on patch panel 45. The other end of cable 60 is connected to a connector port 70 on a switch 65. The switch 65 is configured to provide connectivity between the connector port 70 on switch 65 that receives patch cord 60 to another connector port 75 on switch 70 into which a second patch cord 80 is inserted.
Continuing now to FIG. 1B, which is a continuation of FIG. 1A, it can be seen that the patch cord 80 connects to the front end of a connector port 86 on a fourth rack-mounted patch panel 85. As shown in FIG. 1B, a backbone cable 87 connects the back end of connector port 86 to the back end of a connector port 91 on a fifth rack-mounted patch panel 90. One end of a patch cord 92 is plugged into the front end of connector port 91 of patch panel 90 and the other end of patch cord 92 is plugged into a connector port 96 on a memory storage device 95. In the present example, patch panels 85 and 90 are fiber optic patch panels, and hence patch cords 80 and 92 and backbone cable 87 are fiber optic cables. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1, the server 10 is connected to the memory storage device 95 through patch cord 15, patch panel 20, backbone cable 30, patch panel 35, patch cord 55, patch panel 45, cable 60, switch 70, patch cord 80, patch panel 85, backbone cable 87, patch panel 90 and patch cord 92. While only a single patch cord or cable has been illustrated as extending between each equipment rack in order to simplify the drawings, it will be appreciated that in normal operation the various other components and patch panels depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B would typically have many more patch cords/cables connected thereto.
As computer equipment is, for example, added, moved or replaced in a data center, it often becomes necessary to make temporary and/or permanent changes to the interconnection scheme. For example, if a first memory storage device in a data center is scheduled to be replaced with a new memory storage device, servers and other computer equipment that use the first memory storage device may need to be temporarily connected to a second memory storage device until such time as the new memory storage device may be installed, configured, tested and brought online. The patching system depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B may facilitate making such changes.
Unfortunately, record-keeping of the patching connections that are necessary to know which patch cord to move are not always 100% accurate. Conventionally, the interconnections of the various patch cords and cables in a data center were logged in a paper or a computer-based log. However, if a technician neglects to update the log each and every time a change is made, and/or makes errors in logging changes, then the paper or computer based logs will no longer be fully accurate. As a result, in some cases, each time a technician needs to change a patch cord, the technician would manually trace that patch cord between two connector ports by locating one end of the patch cord and then manually following the patch cord until he/she finds the opposite end of that patch cord.
However, in large scale data center operations the manual tracing of patch cords may be difficult or even impossible given the large number of connections, the cable routing mechanisms that are typically used to keep the cable portions of each patch cord out of the way and neatly routed and the spacing of the equipment. As such, systems for automatically detecting and logging patch cord connections have been proposed such as, for example, the systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,222,908; 6,784,802; 6,424,710 and 6,968,994.
Current intelligent patching systems have the ability to automatically detect changes to patch cord connectivity. For this information to have commercial value, however, it may be necessary to associate patch panel port to patch panel port connectivity information detected automatically by an intelligent patching system with cabling information that shows how the patch panel ports in question are connected—via cables attached to the back side of each port—to other equipment at the site. By combining such fixed cabling information with real-time patch connectivity information, intelligent patching systems can display for users complete end-to-end circuit diagrams.